Manually operated control switches are well-known for use by electric utility industries. Such control switches sometimes referred to as circuit breakers and control switches, are used as a primary means of manually tripping out circuit breakers to isolate a power highline from an overall distribution system. The same control switch is often used as the primary means of manually closing or reclosing a power circuit breaker. Such control switches are normally panel mounted in large groups on predrilled panels and have handle shafts extending through the panel for manual operation at the panel. Often such switches provide up to fourteen 30 amp contacts that can be operated in one of three positions. Typically, these are trip, neutral and close or 315 degrees, 0 degrees and 45 degrees, respectively. The switch is at rest in the neutral position (0 degrees) maintained by a spring load. From this position the switch can be turned 45 degrees to either the trip or close position depending upon the function required. Such counterclockwise or clockwise turning is against a resilient spring load in either direction so that the handle is always resiliently biased to return to the neutral position. Typically, the operation of the switches in either tripping or closing is very quick, often only a few seconds. Thus the control switch need only be manually held out of the neutral position against the spring load for a few seconds to do its job and then be allowed to return to the neutral position. Such positional contacts are considered momentary contacts; thus, they only close for a moment and then open. Occasionally a fourth position is supplied at 270 degrees as in a syncroscope switch; however, the contacts for the fourth position are maintained by a locking detent that prevents the switch from returning to neutral.
The wide use of these control switches throughout industry has created a great many panel installations. Thus panels throughout the country are drilled, switches are mounted and wiring established. Installation or replacement of such systems today would require significant costs. Because of certain technological advances, it has become important for the industry to change the old systems over from a manual control at the switch site to enable such switches to be automatically or remotely controlled as well as manually controlled at the switch site. Thus, there is a need in the industry for a control switch that can be both manually actuated at the switch and/or automatically controlled from a remote location, which switch would be sized to fit existing panel installations with no or minimum modifications. There is a further need for control circuits for remote operation of such switches.